Inside the Soryu Submarine: Rare Diagram, Photos, Video and Translations.

Life beneath the waves in the Soryu submarine.
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Diagram of a Soryu Command Center (or Control Room) from Ships of the World Vol. 713, page 96 (Courtesy http://blog.livedoor.jp/wispywood2344/others/Soryu_Control_Room.png)
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A friend has kindly provided an English translation of the subtitles in the above Youtube.

The Soryu submarine, where most of the action takes place, is Zuiryu “Auspicious Dragon”. It is the fifth Soryu built, hence designated SS-505. It has lead-acid batteries and Stirling engine AIP. It was laid down March 2009, launched October 2011 at MHI and commissioned into the Japanese Navy (JMSDF) in March 6, 2013 see “Soryu Table”. It is homeported at the Japanese Navy's main base at Yokosuka.

The only non-Soryu action is a 60th Anniversary of JMSDF Submarine Fleet ceremony, held at Yokosuka Naval Base, with submarine naval officers attending. Vice Admiral Doman Seiichi, Commander Submarine Force, gives a speech.

Scene - In the tight confines of a submarine dwell 65 souls (9 officers, 56 men). They take a female reporter out for the day. Note - Japanese submarines are usually an all male preserve.

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Youtube Time mins:secs	Speaker and What he/she/they Said
0:05	Reporter: Ah!
0:12-0:22	Reporter: Thank you. Oh Great. Now, we are offshore. Numbers of ships are becoming less.
	Captain Ryu Moriyasu: Yes.
0:25-0:58	Narrator: A jet back mass with a cloud of white smoke sails the sea. This is the latest class of submarine, a [Soryu specifically the] Zuiryu. Its maximum width is 9.1, and length is 84m. Building cost is more than 50 billion yen [A$600 million]. Zuiryu commissioned three years ago. Zuiryu rarely conducts activities such as disaster relief or life-saving. It is a weapon just for attack.
1:05-1:20	Narrator: Submarine conducts secretly mission in the deep sea. We are allowed to accompany with training of submarine. This is the first TV filming of Soryu-class submarine training.
1:24-1:35	Narrator: First, we went section called “Control Room”. We can see a row of instruments and monitors, filming of them is rarely permitted.
1:39	Captain: To the mast. Dive!
1:40	Crew: Dive. Dive.
1:47-1:50	Narration: Suddenly, something happens in the ship.
1:55-2:05	Reporter: Ship is inclined. It is quite inclined to the front.
	Captain: It is going more inclined.
	Reporter: My body is nearly moving. I feel to be powerfully pushed to the front.
2:07-2:09	Narrator: Because the submarine starts deep diving for training.
2:14-2:20	Narrator: This is footage from camera set out side of the submarine under the special permission.
2:35-2:43	Narrator: The submarine has no windows. After submerging, they hear sound and detect abnormality.
2:46-2:53	Reporter: We already submerged deep. In this submerged situation, training is going to be carried out.
2:56-3:05	Narrator: Under the red light, combat training is carried out. One word perfectly changed tense and quite atmosphere. Soryu's Command Center area, drive/sonars/combat system etc. Darkened for security. Note chairs on rails. ---
3:06-3:08	Sonar man: Detected sound. Hundred twenty degree.
3:10-3:21	Narrator: Sonar man checking sound in the sea detected the warship. They say, if it is enemy, they will conduct preemptive attack before being detected. Immediately, Captain starts action.
3:22-3:28	Crew: We get in the position.
.	Captain: Roger. Get in the position. Prepare training torpedo warfare
	Crew: Get in the position. Prepare training torpedo warfare.
	Crew: Prepared the position related to launch control.
3:28-3:35	Narrator: The they identify (the warship) whether it is all or enemy by such as huge date accumulated in the latest computer
3:38-3:49	Reporter: Captain check and confirm the monitors, and gives direction. He does not look actually nor use periscope.
3:49-3:50	Crew: Yosoro (=go forward as-is). Yosoro. Yosoro. Captain: (unclear)180 degree stop.
3:51-4:00	Narrator: If submerged deeply, the periscope cannot be used. Is target ally or enemy?
4:03-4:12	Crew: Currently detected the ship in 120 degree direction.
	Captain: We will conduct torpedo attack against this target.
4:13-4:26	Narrator: Captain assumed this target as enemy and ordered torpedo attack.
	Crew: Prepared No.3 and N.4 torpedo tube for firing.
	Captain: Roger.
	Crew: We will fire No.3 torpedo, fire prepared.
.	Crew: Fire
	Crew: Ute (fire).
4:29-4:50	Narrator: Emergency situation is assumed for most of trainings. In the deep sea, such a secret training was conducted. In submerging, generally, they do not communicate outside. Decision whether attack or not is depends of only Captains judgement.
4:53-4:56	Narrator: Next we went here
4:58-5:03	Captain: Curtains are set. There are [Japanese built Type 89] torpedoes opposite side of the curtains. [No picture of Type 89, even on Wikipedia!]
5:03-5:10	Reporter: I understand. Can’t we film these, we can?
	Captain: No.
	Reporter: Wow. Torpedoes! Exactly. Periscope area in Command Center ---
5:12-5:14	Narrator: This is a section for torpedo firing.
5:17-5:46	Reporter: Have you ever fired torpedo?
	Captain: Yes. But, we have not fired live ammunition against the target.
	Reporter: Actually, you will fire such a huge torpedo against something. In this meaning, do you feel scar on firing?
	Captain: Rather scary, we must avoid to fire (torpedo) against wrong target. So we are very careful in this point.
5:48-5:59	Narrator: Attack secretly enemy. To improve this ability, in the latest submarine, there are many equipment different from those of existing submarine
6:00	Caption: Equipment of latest submarine
6:05-6:27	Reporter: This is cockpit. In the cockpit of Oyashio-class which I boarded before, back and forth operation of handlebars was conducted. In this submarine, they adopted sticks operated by right and left hands.
6:29-6:57	Narrator: By these control sticks, they move X-shaped rudders in the stern.
	In the existing submarine, they decided the upper-lower and left- right directions by cross-shaped rudders. Contrary, in the new submarine, X-shaped rudders move independently and provide sharper maneuverability.
7:00-7:25	Narrator: There are another modifications. We went to AIP section. Actually, new engines called AIP were equipped inside of the boxes. We cannot film AIP, because it is defense secret.
7:26-7:36	Reporter: I can see thick tube in the back and arrays of small valves. Bub, it does not look like engine at first glance.
7:38-7:43	Narrator: This is what is the maximum features of the latest submarine.
7:46-8:09	Narrator: The existing submarine, there is need to take in air to charge the batteries. But, surfacing has a risk to be detected. The new engine need not taking in air and provides significantly longer submerged period.
8:10-8:16	Captain: Surfacing provides risk of detection by radar, but now we can avoid such risk. Stirling AIP section ---
8:17-8:21	Narrator: On the other hand, there is price to pay.
8:23	Caption Unknown life in submarine.
8:31-8:34	Reporter: Same as always, steep and narrow stairs. (she used to visit Oyashio-class).
8:38-8:54	Reporter: Look at this. I am surprised. Beds are set just next corridor. One, two, three, it is three-stage bed. This is extremely narrow corridor. Thus tee beds are placed along parallel to corridor.
8:56-9:06	Narrator: Shower and WS are set in the back of 3 tier bunks. Private space of crew is limited to the bunkbed.
9:10-9:29	Reporter: It looks extremely cramped, doesn’t it?
	Crew: Yes
	Reporter: Wow
	Crew: It has become smaller.
	Reporter: As expected, smaller than in the preceding Oyashio class submarines?
	Crew: Yes
	Reporter: Where are your personal belongings?
	Crew: Belongings compartment is under the bed.
	Reporter: Are your belongings in this compartment?
	Crew: Yes. Because only this can be locked space.
	Reporter: My legs become high.
9:30-9:39	Narrator: Actually. Equipment of the new engine AIP makes living space small.
	Reporter: OMG. It is terrible feeling of pressure.
9:41-9:56	Reporter: Why do they lengthen submarine?
	Captain: If the size (of submarine) become bigger, it become more likely to be detected by the enemy and become more expensive, and so on. So they make submarine compact.
9:58-10:27	Narrator: It is not only tightness that submariners who engage in long submerged mission must acclimatize. You can use shower only once in every three days. Because, in addition to saving water and not making a sound as much as possible. Crews are obliged to wear headphones for watching for TV or DVD, because leaking sound provides a risk to be detected.
10:28-10:34	Reporter: Now, one after another, crews walk down the stairs and enter this room. I will follow them.
10:40-10:42	Reporter: A good smell.
10:44-10:50	Narrator: Drinking and smoking are prohibited inside of submarine. Only pleasure is a meal.
10:54-10:58	Reporter: Hmmmm. It is yummy.
11:01-11:04	Narrator: A crew member cannot give details of his mission to his family. How do they think their mission?
11:07-11:09	Reporter: Don’t you feel scaring in sailing?
11:10-11:21	Crew: We convince the scarring mission, rather, my parents or wife worry about mission, because it is very unclear.
11:21-11:30	Crew: We cannot tell returning date, so, we can only tell “not worry, and wait”, though I do not have a girlfriend.
11:30-11:34	Reporter and other crews---laughter
	Reporter: How can you speak like that?
	Crew: If I have a girlfriend, I would say like that.
11:37-11:38	Crew: We work for 6 hours and then take for 12 hours.
11:38-11:42	Narrator: Then crews start to confess their feeling.
11:44-11:49	Crew: I think smaller number of our sailing means more peaceful Japan.
11:50-11:51	Reporter: As expect, does the number increase?
11:52-11:53	Crew: Mmmmm.
11:56-11:59	Crew: I just feel increase in number of training.
12:01-12:04	Reporter: What happens? I cannot perceive it at all.
12:05	Caption - The 60th Anniversary of JMSDF Submarine Fleet Founding at Yakosuka base
12:11-12:20	Narrator: Japan started operation of submarine 100 years ago. Tension of situation of East Asia is increasing.
12:22-12:31	Commander of submarine fleet of JMSDF, Vice-admiral Doman Seiichi. As military environment surround our county is increasingly severe, further improvement in deterrence is required under the new security legislation guide line.
12:34-12:49	Narrator: Currently, 16 submarines engage in defense of Japan. Government aims to proceed with building of latest submarines, and finally to increase to 22 submarines. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just for interest here is an Australian Youtube mainly featuring Rear Admiral (retd) Rowan Moffitt (former Head, Future Submarines Program, RAN and other RAN commands). Pete